


Lost But Never Forgotten

by ProfessorRiverSnog



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Death, Established Relationship, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Meeting the Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 05:11:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15526776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProfessorRiverSnog/pseuds/ProfessorRiverSnog
Summary: Tina takes Newt to meet two very important people.





	Lost But Never Forgotten

       There was a chill in the air the day she decided to introduce him. The soft crack of Apparation only momentarily disturbed the silent tableau. A cool November breeze swept through the trees as she looked up toward the modest hill before her. Tina had always thought this was a beautiful place to be. It was peaceful and, more importantly, quiet. At the time, she had gawked at the distance from the family home. Why would their final resting place be so far removed from where she had seen them last? But the distance proved a benefit. Far away from the constant hum of Manhattan she could truly feel connected here. If her memory were not so clouded with grief and the pain of loss she may have enjoyed this place much more. As it stood she often disliked being here, the memories often too much for her. But she braved it. Fought the emotions that bubbled up beneath the surface. As the wind continued to whip around her, her gaze shifted towards the top of the hill. Two familiar headstones stood proudly against the overcast sky. Though she has made this trek many times before, with her sister, with family, with friends, there was a distinct weight to this visit. Her feet stayed in their place, as if afraid to move. She suddenly saw it, clear as the day it happened. 

       An overcast day similar to the one present. A slow parade of people making their way up the hill behind two wooden caskets. She could still remember the pattern of the wood. The way she held her sister’s hand as they walked. The white rose she held in her own hand. And the childish wish she made before she threw it into the awaiting grave. _ Let this be a dream _ . She chewed her bottom lip, a nervous habit that she had since childhood. Her gaze never leaving those two small headstones. It was, however, the warm hand that slipped into hers that broke her from her reverie. 

       She had almost forgotten about the man who stood beside her. He stood still waiting for her response. She recognized the look and posture, having witnessed it many times in the case. It was posture he took when a creature was visibly distressed. Stay still, no sudden moves, when they’re ready they will come to you.  His messy red fringe seemed to dance in the cool wind and the threads of his familiar yellow and black scarf caressed their joined hands. His posture was solid yet his eyes were surprisingly soft. His eyes shone with the now familiar gaze of awe. Awe at her being. Awe that despite her past and despite her pain she was still willing to open herself to new possibilities. And awe that she would be willing to share something so personal with him. The weight of the visit was not lost on him as either. He knew what this meant to her. And he would see it through. 

       With a heavy sigh Tina wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck, shaking off the momentary swell of emotions. 

       “Shall we?” she asked, not truly waiting for a reply. Newt nodded and took her arm as the couple began the walk up the hill. 

       “Is your sister coming?” Newt asked after a few moments of silence. Tina shook her head. 

       “She’s going to come later. When Jacob can watch over Aaron for a few.” she told him, eyes never leaving the dull grass below her feet. Newt nodded, satisfied with her answer, and continued the walk in comfortable silence. 

       Tina could feel his curious gaze as they walked. Each step formed another question that he had about her parents. Not that they had never discussed her parents before today. There had been countless conversations about the two yet being here seemed to shift the conversation. Up until this point they had seemed distant, like a story told by a child, muddled by time and misremembered details. This however was as solid as the stones that suddenly came into view at the top of the hill. Tina gave another sigh at the headstones. 

       The two slate stones were plain, not being able to afford much at the time, and the writing on them was just as direct. Tina’s eyes traced over the carving of Ruth and Aaron Goldstein. She swallowed deeply at the date, the gravity that she had survived the past 23 years without her parents hitting her with full force.  _ Not just survived _ , she would note later as she allowed her gaze to fall over to her companion,  _ but thrived. _ Tina felt the familiar well of emotion beining to build in the pit of her stomach. She cleared her throat, momentarily calming the swell and stepped purposely forward. She began to clear off the bramble and leaves from the stones and surrounding area. By hand she tossed evidence of the lack of visitors in a pile by a nearby tree. As she cleaned, she noticed Newt gently brushing off dirt and dust from the stone, effects of a recent storm in the area. 

       “Queenie and I usually do this.” Tina hummed, attempted to fill the silence. “The groundskeepers tend to not touch them cause of how high they are on the hill. Though they really should.” She muttered, clearly biting the inside of her cheek in annoyance. “It’s their job. They should be cleaning. Making sure they’re taken care off.” Newt only hummed in agreement, allowing her to vent. The two worked quickly and quietly. 

       When the work as done Tina stepped back from the stones. She held out her hand and closed her eyes, conjuring two small stones. The two rounded stones were a deep chestnut and no bigger than the palm of her hand. Taking a stone in each hand she placed them at top the slate headstones. Stepping back once more she wrung her hands together, picking at her skin as the well began to fill again. She exhaled, her lips trembling as she shifted gently from foot to foot. Though he was silent, she could feel his gaze burning into her back. She closed her eyes. 

       “Please don’t think I’m crazy but,” she began, her gaze still fixed on the stones “but I like to talk to them.” Newt’s eyes narrowed in slight confusion. 

       “Of course not.” he told her gently. Tina looked to him, her eyes already glassy and wide, and found gentle, caring olive eyes staring back at her. Newt suddenly grew apprehensive. “Would you like me to…?” he asked, motioning to the bottom of the hill. 

       “No.” Tina told him suddenly. “No you can stay. Just….” 

       “Alright love.” he nodded. Tina closed her eyes and took another deep breath before looking back at the stones. 

       “Hi mama. Hi papa.” Her words no more than a whisper. “So much has happened since the last time I visited. I’m sure Queenie told herself but you have a grandson now.” she smiled gently at the memory of her nephew now 3 months old. “He has Queenie’s eyes and a head full of dark curls. He’s just the sweetest.” She bit her lip. “She named him after you papa. I wish you two were here to see him. You would have loved him.” She muttered. She cleared her throat. “I’m okay too. I erm...I got promoted in the Investigation team. I got my own office now and everything. Even have a nameplate.” She giggled, remembering how proud her father had been when he had been gifted his own nameplate. As the smile faded from her lips and the familiar sadness took over, she dropped her gaze to her shoes. “Sometimes I can’t believe that you’ve been gone so long. Sometimes I wake up thinking that it was all a dream. That you’ll be there in the kitchen when I come home.” Her voice grew thick as her eyes began to well. “Or that I could talk to you and you’d talk back.” She sniffed and looked to the ground, her tears finally falling into the grass. She sobbed gently, finailly allowing that well to overflow. She wept gently, lost in her own world of grief. The warm, calloused hand that slipped into hers, brought her back to reality. She looked up to see his eyes, now tinged with a similar sadness to hers. With her free hand she wiped away some of her tears and straightened her spine. She squeezed his hand gently. “This is Newt.” She told them. “He’s erm...well he’s the one I talked to you about before. He’s been with me and...I just really wanted you to meet him.” She looked to their joined hands. “I think you would have liked him. Maybe not in the beginning.” she chuckled wetly to Newt, who gave a chuckle of his own. “But he’s one of the most amazing people I have ever known. And I love him very much.” Newt caressed her hand with his thumb and the two simply gazed out over the stones. Tina leaned her head on his shoulder, simply basking in the presence of her parents. She couldn’t say why but she imagined them smiling. Proud that their daughters had faced the challenge of their absence and came out victorious on the other side. 

       After a few moments Tina straighten up and released Newt’s hand. She walked forward and placed gentle kisses atop the cold, solid stone. “Bye mama. Bye papa.” she whispered before walking back to Newt. She took his hand and moved to walk down the hill when Newt pulled back slightly. 

       “Go on. I’ll catch up.” he told her questioning gaze. Tina nodded and released his hand. When she was far enough away, Newt turned back to the stones. With a sigh of his own he placed his fists into his pockets. Shifting from foot to foot he walked a bit closer and looked to his feet. “I erm….I know we’ve just met but I’ve never been very good with words. But I know how much this means to Tina. I’m not quite sure how she would react if she knew that I was speaking to you. I think she’d be alright with it. At least I would hope she would be.” He sighed gently. “She is a remarkable woman. I...I don’t think I need to tell you how incredibly she’s done for herself, for her sister. But I’m sure you already know all that.” he muttered. He looked down again, fishing around in his left pocket. When he felt his hand close around a small, velvet box he looked back up again. He pulled the box out and weighed it in his left palm. “Again I’m not sure how Tina would feel but I’ve tended to be the more traditional one in our relationship.” He gently opened the box to reveal a modest but no less breathtaking ring. He had spent hours choosing the perfect stone and setting, only realizing at the end that Tina would cherish anything he chose. This was all the more reason to give her everything that she desired. The one who went without, but deserved the world. He looked back to the stones and straightened his spine before them. “So I would like to take this opportunity to ask for your permission to ask Tina to marry me.” 

       Newt stood in silence, not quite knowing what exactly he was looking for. The only thing he felt was the cold wind whipping through the trees. When a particularly strong gust swept around him, wrapping his scarf and coat about him, he finally understood the answer. He nodded and quickly pocketed the ring once more. “Thank you.” he muttered softly. “I promise I will be a man that you would have been proud to call your son.” With a gentle pat to the top of the slate stones, Newt turned and began his descent down the hill. He met Tina’s curious gazed with a gentle smile. “Just had to ask them something.” he told her. With that he took her arm and Disapparated them back to their warm Manhattan flat. 

**Author's Note:**

> Very emotional fic to write. Like always kudos and feedback are greatly appreciated.


End file.
